


surviving together

by soltryce (soaringswallow)



Category: Life of the Party (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Torture, Somewhat, the one where i hurt my favorite boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 20:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20315830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soaringswallow/pseuds/soltryce
Summary: Sometimes it's better to keep your fingers off magical things you don't understand.Good thing that, no matter what, they still have each other to hold onto.





	surviving together

**Author's Note:**

> Renard: "I don't like water."  
Me: *immediately uses it to hurt him*

There had never been a time when Astra had truly wished to harm another person. Sure, sometimes he had hoped someone would have something inconvenient happen to them so they would learn a lesson - he’d met some awful people, after all - but he’d never wanted anyone to get hurt.  
Much less did he want to be the one doing the hurting.  
It was a new feeling.  
He hated it.

But pressing himself against the bars, trying to reach Renard on the floor of the other cell, straining for him, he wanted to be like Elyse, with lightning wandering along his skin that he could throw at those who had hurt his friend. Who kept hurting him.  
Even though Astra had told them, over and over again, that it was no use. They didn’t know what had happened, they didn’t know how to activate the relic, they didn’t even know what it was.  
No one believed him.

It had been six days now and Astra was angry and tired and he wanted his friends. He wanted Renard to be okay and he wanted to know where the others were.  
He wanted Boblem’s tea and healing magic, he wanted Sariel’s quiet but strangely reassuring presence at his side. He wanted Elyse to sling her arm across his shoulders because she knew he needed it even if he never said anything. He wanted Cassian to pretend so hard that he didn’t care while simultaneously not being able to help it.

But they weren’t here. They were… gone.  
Gone into that golden sphere that they had found and that Cassian and Elyse had tried to analyze night after night.

Astra had only stepped outside the room for a quick breather, and to check on Renard who had been giving the artifact a wide berth, and when the two of them had returned inside, all the others had been gone. Along with the artifact.  
All their belongings had still been there so Astra had immediately suspected a teleport spell of some kind - but they had no way of tracking them.

So they had settled in to wait. Leaving would have been a mistake in case the others returned soon.

They hadn’t known that there were others looking for the artifact. Others who wanted it so desperately that they had tracked it down, tracked them down. Astra and Renard hadn’t stood a chance against their numbers.

“Ren, I need you to look at me,” Astra tried again, keeping his voice a hush. Their captors were suspicious of his magic so it was better they didn’t hear that he was talking at all. The first time he’d tried to cast a spell after the battle, they had been… displeased. Astra shuddered. 

Now they knew how he worked, too. If they thought he was trying something, they wouldn’t hurt him. They would hurt Renard again. And Renard was an idiot who kept taking the blows for Astra. He was trying to be a distraction.  
To what avail, Astra didn’t know. 

Their captors kept asking the same questions. They asked about Elyse, and neither of them had caved at first, but… Astra swallowed. They’d sold her out in the end. Not that they knew anything important, any of her secrets, but Astra had never been hurt like that before and he’d told them everything he knew about her.  
He’d thought Renard would be disappointed, but instead he’d been met with gentle reassurance and quiet anger. Not at Astra, but at their captors.

After that first day, Renard had started provoking them. Trying to make them believe that he knew more than Astra did, if they could only get it out of him.  
And Astra had been unable to do much. He’d come down with a fever on day three and been mostly incoherent for a while.  
Eventually he’d woken up to someone roughly shoving the end of a waterskin into his mouth and he’d coughed, nearly missing the quiet healing spell. He hadn’t known that healing magic could feel so wrong, too.

Later, Renard had quietly confessed that he’d told them everything, even if it wasn’t much. How they’d come across the artifact in an old study, deep within the ruins of what must have once been a proud mansion. How Elyse had been overjoyed by the unexpected discovery - they’d been paid to go and deal with a hag that had made the place her new domain. How their two arcane experts had combed every library and spent hours and hours taking notes and experimenting with the artifact. How they’d just been gone.

That entire story was everything they had, the only reason they were still alive, and Renard had given it away to save Astra.  
So much for not admitting they were friends.

But their captors had not been done with them. They kept insisting that Renard and Astra were keeping something from them.  
The beatings were still regular, even with Renard’s continued efforts to draw the attention to himself - he wasn’t very good at that, if Astra’s humble entertainer opinion mattered.  
Other than that, hunger and thirst were a constant now. And worry about Renard. Always.

Sometimes they came in the mornings and Astra wouldn’t see him until late at night. Sometimes he would come back unconscious and not wake until the next morning. Sometimes he would ignore Astra and just stare straight ahead until Astra gave up trying to talk to him. Sometimes he would sit with his back against the bars and Astra would mirror him and then Renard would ask for a song, and Astra would sing in a whisper, always worried he might get caught.

Tonight was nothing like any of that.

Tonight Renard was conscious. Astra could tell with the way he was breathing, too irregular to be asleep. Every few seconds, there would be a quick inhale and then a muffled sob, and Astra needed to do something.  
He’d never seen Renard cry. Renard probably didn’t want to be seen like this either.

But Astra wasn’t stupid. Renard had been carried back to the cell soaking wet. His hair hanging into his face and thankfully obscuring it - since they’d taken the mask, Astra had taken great care not to look at him directly, because showing his face should be Renard’s choice and no one else’s.  
They were already taking everything else. Slowly chipping away at both of them. And now they’d found something. A weakness.  
Renard’s fear of water couldn’t be a secret anymore, not with how he was acting now, curled up on the floor with his back to Astra, trying to make himself as small as possible.

It wasn’t right. This wasn’t Ren!

Astra grunted with the effort of shoving more of his shoulder through the bars. It hurt, and his arm was littered in bruises already, but he’d been sitting around long enough. He had to… he didn’t know what to do. He wanted Elyse. Elyse could always get through to Ren in a way Astra couldn’t.

“They’ll come for us,” he whispered, “They just… they just need to find us.” Renard had nodded the first few times he’d said that. Then the nods had turned into scoffs. And now… no reaction at all.  
“You can’t keep doing this, you know?” He nearly could touch Ren’s leg, if he only stretched a little further…  
“You can’t keep taking hits for me. I know you like to act like you’re all tough and it doesn’t bother you, but clearly it does! They’re hurting me anyway, no matter what you do. It could be worse, but you don’t know what it’s like to watch them take you away every day!” Now Astra was crying, too, his voice cracking. He tried to swallow the tears. Maybe if he kept talking he could ground Renard a little.  
“Besides, when the others come there’s going to be a fight and we need you for that. You have to be able to hold a sword. I don’t know how to use one. I honestly don’t want to have to learn.” At the moment, he couldn’t close the fingers of his right hand anyway, but he wanted to stay somewhat positive right now. “Can you imagine me with a sword? I would look ridiculous.”

A bit more… just a bit further… the tips of his fingers brushed against Renard’s leg. Renard flinched, but it was hard to tell if it was from the touch or the horrible grinding noise that filled Astra’s ears for a moment. Then, suddenly, white hot pain shot through his body, originating from his shoulder.  
He screamed.  
It hurt. Worse than when they had broken his fingers. Worse than the cracked ribs and the cuts running up his side.  
The nausea hit a moment later and he had to clench his teeth against it. His vision was swimming.

“Ren… going to be okay…” With the last of his strength, he cast a Calm Emotions spell.

__________

“…-stra?”  
“Ren?”  
“…-ere… healing…”

Astra groaned. His entire body was hurting. Especially his shoulder. His arm was still jammed in between the bars, he could feel them locking him into place, cold against his bare skin.  
There were hands holding his, warm and rough, but their hold was gentle. Astra managed a smile, but he still didn’t open his eyes. He was so tired. And thirsty.

“You were right,” a voice murmured near his ear, “I shouldn’t have doubted you. Or them.”  
Renard wasn’t making any sense. What was he talking about? Astra wanted to reach out and hug him tight. He was cold and Ren was probably very warm. He looked warm anyway. Or maybe that was just his color palette. He would have to ask Cassian for his opinion.

There were more hands on him now, these ones smaller and cooler than Ren’s. And another pair.  
Voices were talking over each other and Astra didn’t know how to isolate them.  
“No, him first.” Well, that was Ren. Still close. Still separated by bars. Astra squeezed his hand, even though it hurt.

Magic, cool and soothing, washed through him like a moonlit stream. “… nice. Feels nice, Sariel,” he murmured. Was that his voice? Why did it sound so wrong?

“I can’t fix your shoulder like this,” Sariel said softly, and he could feel her hand threading through his blood caked hair. “Boblem?”  
A soft noise of denial.

Astra shifted and bit back a whimper. “… let me sleep now?” he asked.  
More hushed whispers. Were they arguing? They weren’t meant to argue. Astra opened his mouth again, but he was already caught in another wave of magic, and it carried him away into unconsciousness once more.

__________

He was lying on something soft. No cold stone floor. No hard bars digging into the side of his face.  
No pain.  
Astra forced his eyes to open, though his lids still felt heavy.

He heard a soft gasp next to him, and a moment later Elyse’s face popped into view. “You’re awake!”  
“Obviously,” came Cassian’s voice from somewhere above his head.

Astra managed a smile. Gods, now that the pain was gone and he was… safe, he was thirsty. But first… “Renard?”  
Elyse’s face darkened with worry, but she was still smiling. “He’s alright. He was awake for a while but he didn’t talk much.”  
Astra relaxed. “Does he ever?” he asked quietly, relieved when he heard Boblem snort and Cassian chuckle. He was fine, he didn’t want them to worry anymore. Not if he and Renard were safe. They would be okay. Soon.

He looked at Elyse again and made to sit up slowly. “Can you help me…?”  
Before he could even finish, she was already gently pulling him up and someone - Cassian - rearranged the pillows to help him stay seated.   
Astra almost insisted that he was fine, he wasn’t in pain anymore, but he knew he needed this right now. To be assured that they were here.  
He glanced around the room. Renard was lying in the second bed, his back turned to them. Sariel was perched beside him, looking worried. Boblem was in the corner fiddling with his tea set. Cassian had taken a seat in a chair nearby and Elyse sat next to Astra, her shoulder brushing his. He leaned against her.

“Where were you?” he murmured, letting his eyes fall shut again.  
There were a few moments of silence. Astra could almost taste their guilt in the air. He searched around with his hand until he found Elyse’s and squeezed it. “ ‘s okay, I’m not angry. I just want to know. I was worried.”

“It was some kind of teleporter,” Elyse said quietly, “We didn’t know… there was a certain sequence you had to press the buttons and we accidentally activated it. One moment we were in our room and the next we’re in a forest full of…”

“It was terrifying,” Sariel muttered, “I always thought they Feywild would be pretty, but it was… it’s not a place for mortal people.”

“You went to the Feywild?” Astra asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Not only had he and Renard had the worst week of their lives, but the others had been privileged enough to experience the realm of the fey for themselves. It wasn’t fair.

“Those bits of Sylvan you’ve taught Cassian were the only reason we made it out this fast,” Elyse explained, “Otherwise we might have been stuck there forever. And it was still… close.”

“We only got out because that one faerie fell in love with Elyse,” Boblem added from in front of him, and Astra opened his eyes to see him holding out a cup of tea. Gratefully, he took it and sipped at it. It was still scalding hot, but it was also the best thing he’d ever tasted.

“You made it out fast?” he asked, “How… how long did it take?” The Feywild was strange, after all. Maybe…

“Less than two days,” Cassian answered promptly, confirming Astra’s suspicion. “How long… how long were we gone, Astra?”  
Beside him, Elyse inhaled sharply.

“Six days. Maybe seven? It was dark down there and I wasn’t awake as much as Renard…” It was possible they’d lost count. But it couldn’t have been longer than a week.

Silence again. Astra took a sip of his tea.  
Elyse pressed a kiss to the base of his horn and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Astra said quickly, hoping to prevent further apologies from the rest of them. “It’s their fault.” He hesitated, glancing over to Renard. “Are they…?”

“Every last one of them,” Elyse confirmed, and Astra exhaled.  
“Good.”

All of a sudden, Renard wasn’t asleep anymore. Astra watched frozen as he jumped out of the bed in one swift move and crossed the room.  
Before any of them could do anything, he had already slammed the door behind himself.

Astra sighed deeply. “At least some things never change.”

___________

Renard could still feel the water in his lungs. He could still feel the hands holding him, pushing him down as he struggled. The feeling of utter helplessness as they pulled him up for air and then immediately forced his head into the water again.

“We’ll stop if you tell us where the artifact is,” they’d said, every time, and Renard had only been able to cough weakly and glare. Without his mask, he’d felt so vulnerable.  
The others had found it when raiding the place, luckily, and he’d woken with it firmly back on his face. It was easier like this.   
No one had to see the anger, the hot fury coursing through his veins, reflected in his expression. That was why he had left.  
To hear Astra declare he was happy these people were dead was… Astra wasn’t meant to be glad for a death. Ever. Astra was meant to be soft and positive and… and full of love. Renard wouldn’t have been able to hold on for so long if it wasn’t for Astra’s whispered songs and the burning need to protect him.

“We should have killed them slower.”

Renard didn’t look over at Cassian. He kept staring up at the stars, trying to breathe. “You should have.”

He felt Cassian moving in to lean against the wall beside him. “Regardless, they got what they deserved.”

Renard scoffed. “No, they didn’t. Astra…”

“I heard him,” Cassian agreed. There was anger in his voice, too, and that was strangely reassuring.

“I tried to keep them away from him.” Renard still couldn’t shake the memory of Astra lying motionless on the ground, his skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He could have died. They wouldn’t have even given him a funeral.   
And there was no one to be angry at anymore, because the others had fought to get back to them, had saved them in the end just as Astra had predicted.   
The only thing to be mad at was that artifact. He’d warned them not to mess with it. Strange magic that none of them understood. That had taken them all away to a place that had twisted time around them and delayed the rescue.

“Renard.” Cassian’s voice sounded firm, and it somehow dragged him back into the present. “You let them hurt you to protect him? Did you even consider what that would do to him?”

Renard grit his teeth and turned to glare at Cassian. It was so much easier with the mask on. “You weren’t there.”

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “You’re right,” he said, very softly, picking each word deliberately, “I wasn’t. But I wouldn’t have let you do that to yourself. We all care about Astra. It’s impossible not to, with the way he is.” Cassian paused, his glare turning into more of a frown. There was worry again, faint but visible. “But we don’t want you hurt either. So next time you decide to play the selfless hero, you’re going to have to deal with me in the aftermath. Understood?”

Renard had to take a moment to process, and suddenly Cassian’s hand was clutching his chin, fingers digging into the sides of his face. “Do you understand me?” he asked again, and Renard nodded the best he could.  
“Good.” Cassian pulled away and brushed off his robes. “Because you’re the only one in this group who can take a punch. We need you.”

And he was gone before Renard could reply.

Cassian wasn’t wrong. Their group had come to rely on each other in battle - and apparently also outside of it.   
If Renard had gotten killed back there, he wouldn’t have been able to protect Astra anymore.   
He wouldn’t have been able to do anything at all.

He rubbed at his cheek and took a deep breath, letting the cooler night air fill his lungs.

Then he tugged his scarf up into his face and turned to follow Cassian inside - to face Astra, to face the group, and to take on whatever obstacles lay in their future together.


End file.
